Method and means for treating textile fabrics



3 Sheets-Sheet W. S. ROWLEY Filed April 22, 1929 METHOD AND MEANS FORTREATING TEXTILE FABRICS Apri! 19, 1932.

flor/rey.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A W. s. ROWLEY METHOD AND MEANS FOR TREATING TEXTILEFABRICS Filed April 22, 1929 April 19, l1932.

April 19 1932 w. s. RowLEYy 1,854,526

METHQD ANDMEANS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS Filed'April V22, 192s ssheets-sheet 3 VPatented Apr. 19, 1932 WILLIAM S.' ROWLEY,

` BUTTERWORTH & SONSCOMPANY,

F PHILADELPHIA., PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO H. W.

A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA A METHOD AND MEANS, FOR TREATING TEXTILEFABRICS Application led April 22,

The object of my invention is generallyto provide a method and means forcontinuously and rapidly subjecting textile material, Whether in flatweb or other suitablecondition, to a preliminary treatment comprisingboilm in an alkaline liquor, spraying and squeezing, which shall cleansethe fabric and put it in such condition that after thorough washing, itis suitable for the bleaching, dye- 1o ing or other operation to whichit is to be subjected.

ln the method heretofore generally practiced for boiling cloth, it hasbeen customary to Wet the cloth through the use of a. wetting machine;and then to gather it into rope form through a pot-eye and plate,delivering it into a large tank or kier, and laying or plaiting the ropeform fabric in all directions upon itself with the object of packing it-as uniformly as possible. rlhe alkaline liquor is then let into thekier, submerging the textile material therein and the boil started. Asit is difficult to lay the rope-like textile material inthe kier toinsure a uniform resistance vertically to the flow of the liquor, itvery oftenffinds channels or avenues of least-resistance and pereolatesthrough these channels during the boil instead of properly treating thetextile material itself. The result is that the treatment will not beuniform over the entire fabric but will fre uently be so defective inparts that a repetition of this operation will be necessary in a secondkier.

The length of time necessary to boil a kier under the conditions givenabove is usually from eight to twelve hours, this length of time beingnecessary because the volume of goods is so great that the liquor, eventhough brought under pressure, does not percolate through the fabricuniformly, and consequently the cloth must be allowed to remain in thekier for a length of time which will safely uniformly boiled or at leastto such an extent that the required conditions are obtained.

Because of the fact that it has been found that a single boil in manycases Was not sutilcient to completely penetrate all ofthe goodsuniformly, a second. boil is frequently resorted to, and this requiresthat the goods shall assure that all parts of the goods arel 1929.Serial No. 357,081.

be withdrawn from the first kier, washed throu h a bleaching housewashing machine, andt ereafter deposited in the second kier in the samemanner in which they were placed 1n the first kier, though in this casethe goods 55 which were at the upper portion of the first kier will thenbe deposited at the bottom in the second kier, and vice versa.

It Willbe readily seen that by this process, portions of the goods whichwere independently exposed to the action of the kier in the first boilwill be more fully exposed to p the boiling action of the liquor in thesecond boil. The length of time consumed in the rst and second boils,together with the necessary time for the goods to pass through theWasher and from onekier over to the other, has been approximatelytwenty-four hours. Furthermore', the extent of action of the liqf uorupon the goods is so ununiform and greatest at the beginning and endingof the length of goods to be treated as compared to the treatment at themiddle, that there is always a doubt whether the goods, after beingprocessed, are of a uniform character or technically bottom conditionthroughout its length.

Aside from the diificulties thus enumerated in connection with the useof theold form of kierV and process, there are many lother diflicultieswhich enter into the treatment, such as require handling of the goods byboys in large numbers and who are recognized as dirty workers, oftendoing considerable injury to the goods in the handling. Further, damageis frequently done by entangling of the goods which has been improperlyplaced in the kiers by the boys and frequently requiring the same to becut to enable removal thereby, shortening the piece lengths, and in thatway injuring its saleability.

My improvement primarily has for an object the overcoming of all thediiculties which have heretofore been inherent to theA boiling in a kieras above outlined, and in addition to the special features of advantageiirst above mentioned, my improvements embody a capacityfor-manipulating the goods throughout the treatment without any personalhandling by the attendants and the 100v the treatment of the go s,

avoidance of all tanglin or irregularity in A so that upon once passingthrough the machine in a continuous manner, it may be taken as anunfailin fact that the treatment will beI complete an un1- form and thegoods may be said to be definitely bottomed from one end to the other.

The special feature of my improvements resides in the fact that thegoods may be treated in a continuous manner with as many re etitions ofthe treatment as desired and at W atever speeds the conditions mayrequire, the fabric between each spraying and squeezing action beingsubjected to a boiling treatment in a weak caustic alkali solution forany pre` determined period which may be necessary.

Heretofore, J box guiding means for the fabric arranged for use withtank structures have been described and employed for treating fabrics toa caustic alkali solution to bottom the goods preliminary to thebleaching, dyeing or other operation, but in the use of apparatus ofthat character, the fabric has failed to travel freely through the Jboxes wherein it is received and through which 1t is required to passduring the treatment with the caustic alkali solution. The result ofthls failure of the apparatus to roperly functlon caused it to clog andthe abrio became unduly packed or jammed in such manner that it failedto mechanically feed or travel through the apparatus, and consequentlywas not uniformly treated with the boiling caustic alkali solution, andfailed to be properly bottomed throughout its length, and, therefore,was unsuitable for the subsequent dyeing treatment.

My improvements overcome the objectlons heretofore inherent in J boxstructures and insure reliable and satisfactory results, with a minimumrequirement of la or and an 1ncrease in speed and eiliciency.

With the above and other objects in View, the nature of which will bemore fully understood from the description hereinafter, the inventionconsists in the novel continuous k1er and the method of operating thesame in the treatment of textile fabrics as hereinafter more fullydescribed and defined in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a continuouskier; Fig. 2 is .a vertical section of the same, taken on line 2-2 ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross section through a portion of one of the Jboxes, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of aportion of the feeding and guiding means for delivering the fabric tothe upper right hand portion of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectionalview on line 5 5 of Fig. 1,

and showing the construction of the spreader; Fig. 6 is a frontelevation at the feeding end of the apparatus, when adapted to feed thefabric in rope form; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the same, taken online 7-7 of Fig.

6; Fig. 8 is a side view of the guide at the bottom end of the J box,when treating fabric in the rope condition; Fig. 9 is a front elevationof the same; Fig. 10 is a perspective view, with part broken away, ofone of the cover plates which are employed 'to partially close the upperend of the treating tank; and Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view of akier showing a plurality of J-box features associated in the same tankand embodying my improvements.

B is the chamber or tank in which the J box elements C are arranged. Drepresents closure plates of sheet metal which are suspended over theupper and open end of the chamber or tank by suspension brackets d whichfit over the upper side edges of the tank. One of these cover plates isshown in Fig. 10. While these cover plates do not hermeticallyseal thetank, they, in a large measure, retain the steam vapors arising from thecaustic alkali solution and insure a more satisfactory treatment of thefabric by maintaining a relatively high temperature within thetank. Thecaustic alkali solution within the tank B is heated by steam coils Iwhich are arranged close to the bottom and within the tank, and steam issupplied to them under thermostatic control by means of a sylphonthermostat I of any suitable con .struction, whereby the caustic alkalisolution may be maintained at a temperature above boiling point andpreferably from 216 to 218"k Fahrenheit. I do not restrict myself to theparticular means employed for maintaining the proper temperature of thecaustic alkali solution.

The caustic alkali solution is preferably composed of water in which isdissolved three per centof caustic soda and one per cent of soda ash,based upon the weight of the water employed. ln a kier of the characterde-y scribed, I employ approximately ten thousand pounds of causticalkali solution.

My improved J boxes comprise a long tubular structure terminating at itslower end in an upward curve and consisting of a lower plate 2 and anupper plate 3 arranged at a slight angle to each other, so that thespace between the two plates gradually increases from top to bottom',and the increase continues around the bend at the lowerl portion; andmoreover, this increase in the space between the two plates ismaterially increased adjacent to the bend 7. These plates are securedtogether by cross bars 4 arranged at intervals.

the J box structure and are adjustable to and from each other to varythe width of the passage when desired. By reference to Fig. 3,' it willbe seen that the association of the bottom and top plates 2 and 3 withthe side plates 12 give a box-like passage C', and this box-like spaceincreases between the plates Interposed between the plates 2 and 3 areplates 12 ,which constitute sides of,

2 and 3 radually from the to to the bottom The J box elements C areinclined as shown more particularly in Figs. 1.and 11, and are supportedat their lowerA ends 1n a framework orcradle shown as composed ofvertical thrust bars2a and horizontal sill or spacing bars 2b, and arealso supported along their lengths and positioned at a distance fromeach side of the tank by means of transverse rods 10 which are securedboth to said structures and to the sides of the tank. v

lThe sides of the J box structures shown at 12,12@ and 12b are shaped toadjustably and loosely fit the space vbetween the plates 2 and 3 andparts 5, 6, 7, 8, of the J box structure body, and are adjustable to andfrom each other by means of screws 17 which extend through the sidewalls of the chamber B and guided in brackets 19 on the outside of thechamber. These screws 17 are operated by hubs of sprocket wheels 18, thesaid hubs being held against longitudinal movement at one end by thebrackets 19 and' at the other end by the bearing members 19a attached tothe sides of the chamber B. The various sprocket wheels 18 are driven bysprocket chains 21 'which ultimately receive their power from sprocketwheels 22 upon a transverse shaft 24 which is provided with a hand wheel20 by which rotation is imparted, the sprocket wheels 22 being connectedwith the sprocket wheels 18 on the uppermost screw threaded shafts 17 bysprocket chains 23. By

adjusting the hand wheel 2O in'one direction, the side plates l2, 12aand 12b may be adjusted toward each other to reduce the width of `thepassage C through the J box structure, and arotation of the hand wheelin the opposite direction will insure said side plates being moved awayfrom each other to widen the passage C through the J box structure.While the J box structures provide more or Y less closed passages C toinsure the proper guiding ofthe textile material, it is to be understoodthat said material is being treated with the caustic alkali solution atall times within the said passages, first, by the' caustic solutionsprayed upon it from the spray pipe 68 at the time the fabric is plaitedinto the upper end of the passage and during the passage of the fabricdownwardly through the inclined structures, and secondly, by the passageof the fabric through the body of caustic alkali solution in the bottom`of the tanklike structure, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 1. The temperature of the caustic alkali solution'maybe readilyindicated on a thermostatic indicator K whose .thermostatic memberextends through the wall of the tank and into the caustic alkalivsolution,thereby enabling the operatorto know `the desired' temperatureo whether the solution is bein maintained at from 216 to 218 F. It willbe understood, therefore, that the adjustable side plates' at 12a formamore or less loose fit with the top and bottom plates 5 and 6 ofthe Jbox structure where it vis submerged in the caustic alkali solution, so

as to permit free access of the solution to the textile material withinthe passage C. I do not restrict myself to the manner in which the fluidmay enter the passage adjacent to the lower bend of the J box structureas, aside from the looseness between the fitting of the sidev platesabove mentioned, the said plates may be provided with apertures such asindicated at 120, and similar holes may be provided in the top andbottom plates 5 and 6' also, if so desired.

On account of the great weight of the side plates each composed of parts12, 12a and 12b of the J box structures, and to avoid binding upon'theadjusting screws 17, it is desirable that the said side plates shall besuspended at their upper ends upon truck structures guided upontransverse rails, so that they may be freely adjusted to suit the widthof the materials being treated. At the upper end of the said side'plates of the J box structures there are provided truck wheels 14.running upon transverse rails 13, said rails extending fromVV side toside of the chamber B. At th'e other or lower end 12b of the sideplates, there are vlikewise provided truck wheels 16 which similarly runupon transends of the extensions 8 of the back and front plates 2 and 3of the J box structures. In this manner, the side plates of'saidstructures taken as separate units are hung upon the truck wheels 14 and16, and hence easily adjusted.

The means for delivering fabric to the J box structures comprise thefollowing instrumentalities The fabric is fed between a metal roll E anda rubber covered roll E, the latter 'being journaled in a weighted lever30 so as to provide the requisite pressure between the rolls E and E.The roll E is journaled in a fixed bearing secured to the uprighthousing 36, whereas the roller E is j ournaled upon the weighted levers30, and they, in turn, are pivotedto the housing 36. To enable the rollsto be moved apart, such as when threading the machine with the fabric inthe first instance, the roll E may be lifted by U- shaped yokes-35having at their tops head pieces 34 adapted to beraised and lowered bymeans of cams 33 upon a transverse shaft 31 journaled upon the saidhousing 36 and rotated by a hand wheel 32. Normally, the weightedlever'30 applies the desired pressure of the roll E upon the roll` E',but when the machine vis to be put into action with a fresh textilefabric, it becomes necessary to los raise the roll E to permit theinsertion of v the fabric between the rolls. However, or-

dinarily, the new batch of fabric is connected to the fabric previouslypassing through the kier so that by the time it has passed out of thekier, the new fabric will have been installed in the J box structuresunder the normal treat-ment therein. After the fabric has passed betweenthe rolls E and E', it is passed over the plaiter F4 comprising arotating frame having transverse bars so spaced that the fabric will belaid within the J box passageway C in a plaited or zigzagged conditionindicated in the upper portion of Fig. 1. The plaiter F is desirablyrotated .by a sprocket chain 43 passing about a'sprocket wheel 42 on theplaiter and being driven by a sprocket wheel 44 on"` the shaft of thepress roll E. From the discharge or lower end of the J box structure,the fabric extends upward and thence over and under the drag bars 26whereby the desired tension may be put upon the fabric T2 as it ascendsto be subjected to the squeeze rolls E, E', for the next J boxstructure. The amount of drag that is exerted by the drag bars 26' maybe increased or decreased by adjusting the frame 25 about its axis 28and which adjustment may be retained by a pawl and ratchet wheelstructure 27. Under this adjustment of the drag bars, the tension on thefabric may. be adjusted while the feeding action of the pressure rollsE, E', may be constant.

As the fabric T2 is approaching the squeeze rolls E, E', it is drawntightly against the spreader H which is shown moreI in detail in Fig. 5,the function of which is to spread the fabric and even its selvage sothat it passes in a proper manner to the squeeze or nip rolls E, E. Thespreader H may' be of any suitable construction, but by way of example,I have illustrated, in Figs. l and 5, a suitable form, the sameconsisting of a transverse bar 53 sustained within the chamber B and tothe middle of which is secured a frame 53a to whicha frame 50 is pivotedat 51, said frame being somewhat of an inverted V shape, as shown inFig. 5. This frame 50 supports rolls '52 which are screw threaded andarranged in pairs in V shaped relation above and below the said frame50. When the cloth is drawn over these screw threaded rolls 52, theaction of the screw threads is to spread the fabric from the centeroutward toward the selvages, with the result that the fabric is freedfrom wrinkles and is more or less evened at the selvages. Theoscillations of the frame 50 and the screw or spiral threaded rolls 52adapt themselves to the condition of the fabric according as to whetherit extends more to one side of the pivot than to the other, and isautomatic, as is well known with this type of spreader.

The means for circulating the caustic alkali solution and for sprayingit upon the fabric may consist of the following devices:

A. pump N (Figi 2) may draw the caustic alkali solution by pipe 47 fromthe lower part of the tank structure and delivers it bypipe 49 to thesuction inlet of the pump, the pump thereafter forcing it through pipe49a and delivering it into a pipe 61 extending to the interior of thechamber B and by which it is distributed over a plurality ofdistributing pipes 62 to a plurality of spray nozzles arrangedtransversely across the chamber and located as follows. Spray pipes 63and 64 are arranged to spray the upwardly passing fabric or multi-plyfabric on the underside immediately-after it leaves the dragI bars 26and spray pipes 65 and 66 are arranged to spray the upper side of thefabric or` upper ply thereof immediately after it leaves the drag bars,the said spray pipes on the opposite sides of the fabric beingpreferably arranged in staggeredrelation. The spray from these pipesremoves a large portion of the caustic alkali solution from the fabricbefore the same passes to the nip or squeeze rolls E, E. A spray pipe 67is arranged immediately before the nip of the said rolls E, E takesplace, so that it sprays the fabric to clear it ofsurplus caustic sodasolution immediately before it is squeezed between the said nip or pressrolls. A further spray pipe 68 is arranged transversely of the upper endof the J box structure and is adapted to spray the fabric T2 as itdescends under the action of the plater F of the next adjacent J boxstruc- 'portion of the pivoted pipe 48. lf the pipe 48 is swungdown, asindicated by the dotted lines, the overiow level would be reduced almostto the bottom of the J box passage. By means of this pipe, the level ofthe caustic alkali solution within the tank may be varied to any desiredlevel, the normal level being that provided when the pipe 48 issubstantially vertical, as shown. f

In feeding the fabric into the kier, it is wetted out with water andthen with a caustic /alkali solution lslightly stronger than that usedin the kier itself, and then passed through stretching devices known asFoxwell guiders which operate upon the selvages to stretch them apartand to the proper width just before the fabric enters the kier proper`the position of such guiders being indicated at X and Y in Fig.' 4, theframe B .j of said figure being an extension of the upper horizontalframe of the chamber B of Fig. 1. As shown there f are Foxwellv guidersX for a web'of woven fabric T, and a similar F oxwell guider Y for a webof woven fabric T', said fabrics being respectively guided over guiderolls 46 and 45 so that they continue through the kier as a two plyfabric T2. After the two-ply fabric enters the kier, it continues as atwo-ply fabric throughout the entire treatment, thus giving twice theoutput to the machine as would result if a single ply fabric alone wereemployed.

It will be further understood that because I the fabric is a two-plyweb, the spray pipes y 63 and 64 spray one of the fabric webs, whilespray pipes 65 and 66 spray the opposite web. Furthermore, the spraypipes 67 and 68 likewise spray the opposite webs, so that the fabric maybe treated as a two-ply fabric with entire satisfaction and with thecorresponding increase in output capacity of the machine.

It will also be understood that if the treatment of the fabric to acaustic alkali solution -somewhat stronger than that of the kier weregearing and shafting illustrated-in Figs. 1

and 2. In these figures, the press roll E may be driven by a pinion gearon a'shaft 38, the said pinion driving a bevel gear 37' secured to theshaft of the press or nip roll E.

Furthermore, the bevel pinion 40 is looselyj" sleeved upon the shaft 38and is connected orf disconnected, as required, by a hand operatedclutch 39 manipulated by a hand lever41. In this manner, the press rollsand the v'corresponding plaiter F, of any one of the-J box structures C,may be put into or out of'action for purposes of repairs, adJustment, orfor any other reason as may arise. The driving shaft 38 may be driven byany suitable motive power such, for example, as by an electric motor Land chain power transmitting connection M.

In the diagrammatic drawings Fig. 11, I have shown the combination offour J box structures within the same chamber or-compartment B, eachprovided with their individual drag bars G and press or nip rolls E, Ewith its individual plaiter F. It will be observed, however, that thenip or press rolls E, E', for stretching the fabric extendin from thedrag bars G are in all cases arrange close to the plaiter of the nextadj acentJ box structure, with the exception of the last J boxstructure7 in which case the' nip or press rolls are arrangedimmediately above the drag bars for more convenient delivery of Each Jbox structure is also provided,

observed that the first set of press or nip rolls E, E', act as feedrolls for receiving the fabric T2 after it leaves the Foxwell guiders(Fig. 4), but the fabric passing through this irst set of nip rolls maybe treated with a spray similar to the spray 67 of the 4other rolls.These nip or press rolls not only provide the tension upon the fabric,as it leaves the lower end of the J box structures and over drag bars,but also constitute feeding devices for the delivery of the fabric tothe plaiters. of the next adjacent Jv box structure, so that the fabricwhich is delivered to and recelved from the successive J box structuresis the same as to quantity.

- The inclined arrangement of the long tubular J box structures is avery important feature of my improvement and is the result ofconsiderable experiment, and its advantages may be enumerated asfollows: By having a large capacity for treatment to the caustic in eachJ box structure, less repeats of treatment will suffice for the desiredbottoming condition, but where the long upwardly extending passage isarranged vertically, as

heretofore has been the practice, the plaited fabric fed into thetubular passage packs tightly upon itself and upon the opposite sidewalls in such a manner as to cause its passage through the structure tobe obstructfed, and in that manner cause defective'treatment. Thisresult was further inducedby reason of the fact that the opposite sidewalls of the tubular passage were parallel and, therefore, there was noself-release of the piled fabric. By reason of these defects, it hasheretofore been necessary to employ passages of relatively small lengthand more of them. In the present case, the tapered arrangement of thepassage extending downward through the long arm of the J box structure,the fabric tends to release itself as it proceeds downward by alwayspassing into a cross sectional area which is greater than the onepreviously occupied, and moreover, the inclining of the long tubularpassage permits a greater pressure of the fabric to come l,upon thelower .wall of such inclined passage and th'ereby, in effect, ref leasethe pressure, of the fabric upon the upper wall. The inclination of thelower wall, shown in Fig. 1, is 60 to the horizontal, and this has beenfound to be excellently adapted to the purpose by reason of increasingthe friction upon the said lower wall and w1th a corresponding decreaseof friction upon the upper wall while, at the same time, maintaining asuiiciently steep.

inclination to insure a free and ready pas'- sa e of the fabric downwardunder gravity. g[he resence of the enlargedl space between the extensionof the opposite .walls 2 and 3 around the bend to the point 7 permitsthe fabric to freely pass around the bend in a sutiiciently looseconditionthat it may be readily lifted without putting excessiveresistance upon the drag bars, thereby permitting accurate adjustment ofthe latter. In the erection of m improved kier, the great vpossibleheight o the J box structures which are available under my improvementsmakes it desirable to erect the greater portion of the chamber B and itscontents below the Hoor level, and this is accomplished by constructinga deep concrete well A (Fig. 1), within which the machine is placed,leaving room suiiicient between its side walls and the walls of the wellfor permitting assemblage and repair work.

Owing to the high temperature at which I prefer to o crate the kier, thesame being preferably fiom 216 to 218 F. the water element of thecaustic alkali solution becomes evaporated and causing the solution tobecome more concentrated with an excess of alkalinity. To compensate forthis loss of water, I supply the caustic alkali solution with additionalwater from time to time to maintain the alkalinity initially provided.This additional water supply may be from any source desired, but I havefound that it ma be provided at boiling temperature by utilizing thecondensatefrom the heating coils II, and I, therefore, deliver thecondensate derived fromfthat source into the caustic alkali solutionbeing employed in the treatment of the textile material. This hot watersupply may be provided by piping O having a control valve O operated bya stem and hand wheel P. In this manner, the additional water issupplied ina heated state and, therefore, under economical conditionssince its supply to the caustic alkali solution in no wise chills thesame and a thorough commingling of the water with the caustic solutionwill quickly take place.

Heretofore, I have described my improved apparatus and method ofoperation in respect to textile fabric in the web and in its treatmentwhile spread to its My improved apparatus an method may also be employedin treating fabrics in a rope form, whether in continuous len hs orshorter lengths coupled together, and 1n fact' may be employed forbottoming yarns in skein form interlooped to constitute a ropelikestructure. When it is necessary to employ my improved kier for treatingtextile material in rope form, I substitute traversing guide means forthe rope-like textile material, which traverse back and forthtransversely of the general forward direction of the fabric through theJ box structures,

eatest width.v

whereby the textile material may be plaited i' transversely within the Jbox passa e. `The changes to facilitate the proper han ing and feedingof the rope-like textile material is illustrated in Fi s. 6 to 49,inclusive.

Referring togF rolls E, E, and the parts 30 to 36, inclusive, operatethe same as 1n the case of the treatment of the fabric in web form. Inaddition to the said parts operating as before, the plaiter F will alsobe employed, but the spreader H will be unnecessary and may be removed,and traversing means such as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, attached in place.i The said traversing means comprises a pair of transverse guide rods 58upon which a carriage 56 is guided, said carriage provided with a longgulde 57 through which the rope- .like textile material is fed andguided to the nip or press rolls E, E. The carriage 56, for moving theguide 57, is reciprocated back and forth upon the guide rods 58 by' atraversing shaft 60 having right and left handed helical groovescooperating with a pivoted tooth on the carriage, so that with acontinuous rotation of the shaft 60 the carriage will be reciprocatedlaterally first in one direction then in the other, and so, suchtraversing devices being well known 1n printing machinery and in textilemachines, and no further detail description will be necessary..

The shaft 6() is rotated by a sprocket and chain drive 59 froml theshaft of the press roll E. It will now be understood that as the ringguide 57 moves back and forth transversely of the machine, the rope-liketextile material is delivered tothe nip or press rolls E E', and by themdelivered to the plaiter F which delivers the rope-like textile materialin a short plaited condition in the direction of the length of theapparatus and, at the same time, the traversing guide 57 cooperatingwith the press rolls and the plaiter F plaits or lays the textilematerial back and forth transversely within the J box passage. l

After passing through the J box assage and emerging from the dischargeen thereof, the rope-like textile material passes through a guideaperture 55 in the upper part of a dome 54 which is fitted to thedischarge end of the J box structure, as indicated in Figs. 8 and 9.When this guide 55 is provided for the emerging rope-like textilematerial, the drag bar devices G may be omitted, though in some casestheir employment may be retained, more especially where the fabric is ofvery-light wei ht. r It will be understood that t e functioning of the Jbox structure is the same irrespective of the manner of feeding thetextilefabric J to and from it or whether the fabric is in web orrope-like form. y

I have described my improved method and means in that particularitywhich I deem' to igs. 6 and 7, the press or nip be the best expositionof myinvention, and that which I prefer in commercial practlce, but I donot restrict or confine myself to the minor or secondary details, assuch aresusceptible of modification, which may be resorted to as amatter of mechanical skill and without a departure from the spirit oftheinvention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the character stated', a chamber shaped to provide aliquid holding tank at its lower part, combined with a substantially Jshaped guiding passage arranged within the tank having a short legportion opening upward relatively to the level of the fluid in the tankand a long leg portion extending considerably above the fluid and intothe upper part of the chamber and also arranged on an incline whereby atextile mate rial lling the passage tends to press by gravit moreheavily upon the lower inclined wall o the passage and with relativelylesser pressure upon the upper inclined wall thereof to facilitate themovement of the textile material downward through the passage, means forfeeding a textile materialinto the upper end of the long leg portion ofthe J -shaped passage whereby it is built up to provide a greater Weightthan that part of the textile material in the short leg portion forcausing the textile material to be moved through the fluid contentsofthe tank and up into the 'short leg portion, squeezerolls arrangedabove the J shaped passage for withdrawing the textile material from theshort leg ortion thereof, and means for heating the uid in the tanks.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the means forfeeding the textile material into the upper end of the long leg portionincludes a plaiting device for laying the fabric in a zigzag manner,said J shaped passage having relativel adjustable side portions, andmeans for adjusting vsaid side portions relative to or from each otherfor varying the width of the passage.

' The invention according to claim- 1, wherein further, the J shapedpassage has a cross sectional area which gradually increases from itsinta-ke end to its discharge end and in which the vertical distancebetween the upper and lowei` walls of the long leg portion of the Jshaped passage gradually increases along the length from top to bottomof said long leg portion.

4. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the J shaped passage isprovided with upper and lower inclinedwalls the former having a lesserincline than the latter, where,-

' by the space between said walls gradually increases from top to bottomof said passage, and in which further, said passage is curved at itslower end to provide a material increase in the width between the saidwalls ata oint below the small leg portion from whic the textilematerial is withdrawn.

5. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the J shapedpassage is provided with upper and lower stationary walls and is alsoprovided with side plates adjustable to and from each other and of ashape to be adjustable between the upper and lower walls, transverserails arranged adjacent to the upper ends of the longand short legportions of the J shaped passage, and wheels secured to the ends of theside plates and arranged to run upon the rails, and means to adjust theside plates relatively to each other.

6. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, a rotatableplaiter means is provided between the means for feeding the textilematerial and the upper end of the J shaped passage.

7 In apparatus of the character stated, a

provided with a cradle for supporting it from the bottom of the tank andhaving its long leg inclined portion spaced from the sides vof thechamber and rigidly positioned therein by transverse portions connectedto the walls of the chamber and also to. the.

sheet metal structure of the inclined passage. -8. 'Ifhe inventionaccording to claim 7, whereln further, the J shaped passage is taperedso as to gradually increase in cross sectional area along its lengthfrom top to bottom.

9. The invention according to claim 7, wherein further, the J shapedpassage is tapered so as to gradually increase in cross sectional areaalong its length from top to bottom, and in which also the side walls ofthe passage are adjustable relatively to and from each other foradjusting the width of the passage.

. 10. Thel invention according to claim 7, wherein further, the sheetmetal side walls of the4 J shaped passage are relatively adjustable'toward or from each other and are supported at their upper and lowerends upon truck structures, whereby they may be easily adjusted, andadjustable screw devices for l adjusting the side walls and holding themin adjusted positions.

11. The invention according to claim 1,

wherein further, there is provided above the upon the textile materialbetween said drag device and the press rolls, and spray pipesforspraying the opposite sides of the textile material during itspassage from the drag devices to the press rolls. 4

l2. The invention according to claiml, wherein further, meansforspreadingthetex tile material when passing from the short leg of theJ shaped passage to the press rolls is 10 provided, and spraying meansfor spraying a fluid upon the textile material arranged intermediate ofthe short leg of the J shaped passage and the means for spreading thetextile material.

i 13. In an apparatus of the character stated, an oblique tubularstructure through which textile material is caused to pass while in apacked plaited condition, comprising upper and lower guiding walls lyingin different oblique planes and providing a space between them ofgradually increasing cross sectional area from top to bottom, theObliquity of the structure being such that the fabric will press uponthe lower wall with suiicient gravity action to cause it to slidedownward over said surface and tend to be drawn away from theundersurface of the opposite oblique wall, and means for subjecting thetextile material passing through the said oblique tubular 3 structure toa chemical fluid.

14. The invention according to claim 13, wherein further, means areprovided for subjecting the fabric to a chemical solution .priontoentering the oblique tubular passage and means are also providedadjacent to the top of the tubular passage for causing the textilematerial to be plaited'as it passes into the upper end of the saidpassage.

' 115. The invention according to claim 13,

4,0 wherein further, a tank adapted to contain a chemical solution isprovided for the lowerA portion of the oblique tubular passage, andwherein also means are provided for withdrawing the fabric from the tankand lower end of the tubular passage and squeeze from the' fabricsurplus tl'uid.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAMS. RowLEY.

